Snoring is a common problem among all ages and both genders. Snoring is noisy breathing during sleep. It affects approximately 90 million Americans adults. Snoring may occur nightly or intermittently. Persons most at risk are males and those who are overweight, but snoring is a problem of both genders. Snoring usually becomes more serious as people age. It can cause disruptions to your own sleep and also your bed-partner's sleep. It can lead to fragmented and un-refreshing sleep which translates into poor daytime function (tiredness and sleepiness). The two most common adverse health effects are daytime dysfunction and heart disease.
While you sleep, the muscles in the throat relax. The tongue falls backward, and the throat becomes narrow and “floppy.” As you breathe the walls of the throat begin to vibrate. These vibrations are the characteristic sound of snoring. The narrower your airway becomes, the greater the vibration and the louder your snoring. Sometimes the walls of the throat collapse completely which create a condition called apnea (cessation of breathing). This is a serious condition which requires medical attention.
Snoring can lead to sever unpleasant symptoms which includes: excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, weight gain, awakening in the morning not feeling rested, change in your level of attention, concentration, or memory. These common symptoms not only occur to the person snoring but also to the bed partner.
There have been many attempts in the art to solve the problem of snoring. These attempts arrange from sleep apnea machines to mouthpieces, chin straps, pillows, etc. The inventor has developed a pillow to help individuals stop snoring. There are many pillows on the market that are designed somewhat to stop snoring. These pillows are designed to modify an individual's behavior while he sleeps by ensuring that he does not sleep on his back. Ideally, sleeping on your side should lessen the effects of snoring. Snoring usually occurs when an individual rolls over on his/her back during sleep. The anti-snore pillows are typically shaped in such a way as to ensure that an individual sleeps on either side and not his back.
The inventor has taken a different approach. With the inventors pillow an individual can sleep on either side or his back. The inventor being a chiropractor began by designing a pillow that no matter what position you sleep in either on your back or your side the pillow will place your neck, head and shoulders in the proper cervical position. The pillow is designed with an indention for cradling the head, neck and face. This indention cradles the neck in a bio-posturally correct position easing discomfort and keeping the airway of the sleeper open. The neck is supported and the spine is aligned which allows a refreshing night sleep.
The pillow also has a bridge that fits over the neck. Beneath the cavity in the pillow is a bridge. This bridge extends up from the neck area of the pillow and extends over the neck of the individual with his head in the cavity on the pillow. The top of the bridge that extends over the neck is made out of foam so that it easily bends and has an opening so that the individual can places his/her head in cavity of the pillow and place the extensions of the bridge over his/her neck. This bridge gently holds the mandible from opening during sleep prohibiting mouth-breathing.
The idea behind bridge is very simple and that's why the bridge is so effective: the bridge holds the jaw firmly in place. This reduces the chance of your tongue falling back into the throat and blocking the airways. The holding of the jaw also reduces the risk of loose-tissue, centered on the neck and jaw, from vibrating. Without the bridge the mouth is open and the soft palate constricts the airway leading to vibration and snoring. The bridge is position to keep the mouth closed and with the mouth closed this airway remains opening and there is no snoring. The bridge is design so that it will keep the mouth closed no matter what position the individual lays in the indention in the pillow.
The person can lay on either size or on his back and the bridge will still hold the mouth closed. The pillow with the bridge and the proper positioning of the neck enable a sleeping individual to keep is airways open and get a good night's sleep without snoring.